These guys have guaranteed money, most are millionaires or close to it and they see no reason what so ever to risk that to play hockey.

Players in years past had fewer teams to play for, weren't making crazy amounts of money and had tons of players itching to get a shot to take their jobs away. Those guys could not shut down for months at a time because it would cost them their jobs.

There was also a lot more hooking and obstruction so the game and hits were slowed down some. The law of unintended consequences, they wanted to get the hooking and holding cleaned up and speed up the game, they did but with the results of guys getting nailed more often. Add to it the instigator penalty and we have what we have now.

Perhaps they shouldn't have put the instigator in until they got the hooking etc fix and then instituted it.

Last edited by NYRKindms: 12-16-2011 at 02:41 PM.
Reason: fixed a bad sentence

I have been a hockey fan for 50 years and I must admit to being deeply upset, concerned, and worried about the epidemic of concussions in the league.

I think about the old days of the Original Six when players didn't wear helmets and goalies didn't wear masks and shake my head as to how it was possible.

Did players just come back a few days after "having their bell rung?" They must have but I refuse to believe that if any were as badly hurt as Staal, Crosby, Savard, etc. etc. they could have returned. And yet I just don't recall that many head injuries.

The reason for all these injuries is obvious: bigger, stronger, faster skaters. In the old days it was like compact cars colliding at 65 mph. Today it is like two super-sized SUVs colliding at 80 mph. It seems that while some concussions are the result of fights or dirty/marginal hits, more are the result of legal hits, accidental collisions or checks against the boards.

Something needs to be done. Our game has a dangerous and destructive problem that must be addressed. I certainly don't have any solutions that have not been thought of before. All my suggestions are financially not practical, destructive to the wonderful speed and flow of the game post-lock out, or would change the game drastically.

1. Increase the size of the rinks. Today's players have simply outgrown the ice surface that was designed for smaller men. We all know this will never happen for monetary reasons but JD last night mentioned a small increase in width like they have in Finland. Something that must be considered.....

2. Slow down the game by allowing clutching and grabbing. Ugh, do we really want to go back to the ugly days of the trap and the Devils? I don't.

3. Going to a permanent 4 against 4 game to increase the amount of space on a regulation rink. I hate this idea as it changes the game drastically. But hockey has done this before: once it was 5 against 5 (plus the goalies) with the extra man designated as a "rover." Maybe it is time to at least think about (and try in the AHL), four against four.

Also: something needs to be done about the helmets (I know a lot of research is being done about this). Maybe more protection should be added to the sides of the helmets near the ears. I wonder if any studies have been done showing the direction of the hit or check that caused concussions? Are most from the front, back, or side? Joe Michelleti half jokingly said last night that maybe they should wear football style helmets. Something to think about (aside: one of the best things about the Original Six was that without helmets you could see the guys faces. It made the connection with the players much more intimate: heck, you could even tell when they got haircuts).

And one more thing? Can we just lay off the guys who have been hurt? This is a serious business here. Players are certainly not dogging it. I'm sure some would return quicker but are prevented from doing so by doctors. That is as it should be....players can be their own worst enemy.

Again, overall....this is a major, major issue that is a threat to this great sport. I know we are all tired of hearing the "c" word. I know most of you hate Sydney Crosby (I get to see the other side because my son-in-law is a Pens fan), but the thought that we could lose this generational talent before he even enters his prime is deeply disturbing.

We have 1/3 of our D-corp out. Other teams are hurting. The whole sport is in trouble. I know the league and the players association are deeply involved in research, study, and discussion. I hope they come up with something quickly.

Good post, pretty much agree on every observation.

What also bothers me is the time it took for the league to even admit this was happening. I could go back at least 9 years having my first conversation about NHL and concussions online. If the fans were talking about it the league must have too, and little was done at the time compared to what we're seeing this last year, specifically this season.

Thats rough...so eminger out till late february (8-10) weeks. And sauer out indef...for a guy with a history of concussions, this sounds like staal pt 2, I hope not though. At least he isnt shut down or anything, I guess thats a good sign.

These guys have guaranteed money, most are millionaires or close to it and they see no reason what so ever to risk that to play hockey.

Players in years past had fewer teams to play for, weren't making crazy amounts of money and had tons of players itching to get a shot to take their jobs away. Those guys could not shut down for months at a time because it would cost them their jobs.

There was also a lot more hooking and obstruction so the game and hits were slowed down some. The law of unintended consequences, they wanted to get the hooking and holding cleaned up and speed up the game, they did but with the results of guys getting nailed more often. Add to it the instigator penalty and we have what we have now.

Perhaps they shouldn't have put the instigator in until they got the hooking etc fix and then instituted it.

I'd say your terribly off point. I would say that these decisions are solely based on the athletes health no their damn salaries.

There are many ramifications from these injuries an the financials are not a deciding factor for anything, it is about the health and future of these people.

@AGrossRecord Andrew Gross
Torts says Mike Sauer (concussion) has done some very light workouts but "he's not going to be with us for a while."

all the threads on this board are injury reports..........at first I could laugh but if it starts costing games argh......I think its safe to say another 4 weeks atleast before they can even think of Staal, Sauer or Eminger being back......and likely more

Hugely disappointing news. Really have to wonder what Johnny Cakes is going to ask for from the front office in terms of a trade if Erixon can't step in. Less worried about him than I am about the likes of Bickel, of course.

I can't believe Staal, Sauer, Pronger, and probably Giroux are all going to miss the Winter Classic. Great. Can't wait to see the great matchups of Stu Bickel and that Harry guy with the Polish sounding name even I can't pronounce (and I'm awesome at that sort of thing). What a star studded show down.

Hugely disappointing news. Really have to wonder what Johnny Cakes is going to ask for from the front office in terms of a trade if Erixon can't step in. Less worried about him than I am about the likes of Bickel, of course.

I can't believe Staal, Sauer, Pronger, and probably Giroux are all going to miss the Winter Classic. Great. Can't wait to see the great matchups of Stu Bickel and that Harry guy with the Polish sounding name even I can't pronounce (and I'm awesome at that sort of thing). What a star studded show down.

Thanks for posting this RB...that's what I had seen and it leads me to believe any speculation declaring Sauer out until the playoffs may be off base.

Every concussion is different but Staal has progressed a ton since he began the light workouts. Basing it off that, I'd say Sauer is a couple of months away and not the worst case scenario of not being back for the playoffs or done for the season as many are speculating.

How is this a clean hit? Phaneuf left arm strikes Sauer in the head. He explodes into Sauer. His feet left the ice when he makes contact with Sauer. The head wasn't targeted?

Sauer is one of my favorite players, and Phaneuf is one of my least favorite players in the league. Still, I disagree. His skates may have left the ice barely, but that **** happens on a lot of hits. It's not like he was flying into him. And his left shoulder hits Sauer in the head, not arm. The whole play developed extremely quickly, also. Can't blame Sauer, either. He was trying to find the puck, and he only looked down for a second.

What I will complain about is the ****ing disgusting attitude shown by the Laughs broadcast duo. Yeah, laugh it up as a guy gets up and walks away clearly injured. Hilarious. Great time to laugh like a ****ing hyena. ****, I hate that team.

I just take issue with the point of impact being so high and so close to the boards. Why can't it be a horizontal trajectory? The force is aimed above the shoulders instead of into the center mass. The hit sent Sauer up and off his skates, giving him no chance to land safely.

And I know I'm being petty and pissy, but any time Hollweg hit someone within spitting distance of the boards it was an instant 5 minute penalty for boarding/charging. The only difference between that by Phaneuf and a hit on Brylin or Kostityn is the name on the back of the jersey. I think you can say there was a lack of respect on that hit. Maybe not illegal by the book (then again, you can argue it was by the new language), but it was pretty messed up.

I was looking at the Phaneuf hit again
How is this a clean hit? Phaneuf left arm strikes Sauer in the head. He explodes into Sauer. His feet left the ice when he makes contact with Sauer. The head wasn't targeted?

I think it's a clean hit. The fact the matter is that if Sauer had worn his damn chinstrap properly, he might not have gotten nearly as bad a concussion. With enough luck, he might not even have gotten one at all.

Sauer is one of my favorite players, and Phaneuf is one of my least favorite players in the league. Still, I disagree. His skates may have left the ice barely, but that **** happens on a lot of hits. It's not like he was flying into him. And his left shoulder hits Sauer in the head, not arm. The whole play developed extremely quickly, also. Can't blame Sauer, either. He was trying to find the puck, and he only looked down for a second.

What I will complain about is the ****ing disgusting attitude shown by the Laughs broadcast duo. Yeah, laugh it up as a guy gets up and walks away clearly injured. Hilarious. Great time to laugh like a ****ing hyena. ****, I hate that team.

Sorry, but the last time I checked, the jaw was considered part of the head area. And, given the evidence that impact to the jaw can also cause concussion, AFAIC, it's a penalty, and should treated as such. Didn't mean to hit him like that? Great...players are supposed to responsible for their sticks, why shouldn't they be responsible for other ways they can impact an opposing player. I'm not calling for a suspension on Phaneuf. I'm not even saying it was a dirty play. But, that, to me, is a penalty. I'd rather see that play called for a penalty than all of the stupid hooking and interference ticky-tack calls that get made.